83
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
520
Direct injuries
$21.3M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Caldwell County, Texas: 83 recorded events between 1997 and 2021. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #249 nationally and #47 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Caldwell County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Caldwell County is the 2000s, when 36 of the county's 83 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Caldwell County archive, flash flood makes up 28.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #249 for this hazard and #47 within Texas, putting it in the 91.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flash flood in Caldwell County with 17 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 6 | 500 | $20.0M |
| Dec 7, 2018 | MARTINDALE | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2014 | NIEDERWALD | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 31, 2013 | DALE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 15, 2001 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 0 | 20 | $80K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2021 | LOCKHART | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 14, 2021 | MAXWELL | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2021 | BROWNSBORO | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2021 | NIEDERWALD | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2020 | LARREMORE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2020 | LYTTON SPGS | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2020 | LOCKHART | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2020 | LOCKHART MUNI ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2020 | MENDOZA | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 7, 2018 | MARTINDALE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Caldwell County
- Hail 91
- Thunderstorm Wind 79
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 3 year old girl downed after being swept into a small flooded creek. The girl went missing around 5 pm and her body was recovered shortly before midnight approximately 50-75 yards downstream. A 5 year old was successfully rescued and recovered from his near drowning.
Caldwell County reported several flooded roads during the morning hours including FM 1979 at the San Marcos River, Old Colony Line Road, and FM 86. A flash flood fatality occurred near Track Road and FM 20 East when a 51 year old teacher at Smithville Junior High was driving to work and his car was swept off the road. His body was recovered later that day.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding closing FM 1854 at Hwy 21. There were also reports of vehicles stranded in high water at other points along Hwys 21 and 130. In total there were 130 homes affected due to flooding on the 30th in Caldwell County, 31 homes were destroyed, most were mobile homes along the San Marcos River between San Marcos and Martindale. The county totaled nearly 1 million dollars in infrastructure losses and debris cost. This total does not include insured/uninsured losses to homes.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Caldwell County, Texas?
83 flash flood events are recorded in Caldwell County between 1997 and 2021, causing 10 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Caldwell County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Caldwell County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Caldwell County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Caldwell County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/caldwell-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.